Category: SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN

All you want to know about mature solo travelling.

SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravels
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CHICCANA, ANOTHER MAYAN GEM. OH AND HORMIGUERO!

OR,CHICANNA IN SPITTING DISTANCE OF BECAN, AND HORMIGUERO A RIGHT OLD TREK

The much lauded serpent portal but on the top of a high turret

HORMIGUERO A FORGOTTEN SITE IN MANY WAYS.

Three buildings very much like this

Whilst halfway through writing this I suddenly remembered that in fact my adventure started first thing in the morning with a booked cab that I had organised the day before to go to Horminguro dammit! You see what happens when you’re a bad, tired and grumpy old bird and don’t write your journal? I had totally forgotten poor old Hormiguero (Anthill) and possibly if you have a busy agenda so should you.

A few stacked Chaacs (rain gods) as well as many other motifs

I had in fact got very excited and planned this trip with a cabbie. I had heard it was a very unusual and nearly never visited set of ruins only partially excavated. What they mean to say is only the big interesting intact bits were bothered with and the place is a very shady quite sad place.

My impression was that the three misaligned very similar imposing structures, unimaginatively called South, Central and North Structures were almost like a bunch of bureaucratic beasts of the jungle. They are very sturdy and practical looking but they do surprisingly contain a lot of elaborately embellished doorways and panels. One also has the largest serpent doorway but that was up on high and the ground was slick with dew. I didn’t fancy a tumble so just took my images from below. If you were to come her I again would come for the atmosphere and maybe a walk in the jungle where there’s a lot of wildlife, I think you can even camp there which would be splendid!

I take it all back this was an amazing site

I just couldn’t shake my unfair immediate reaction to it being municipal and less Gormanghast and more Croydon, but then again I am very instantly judgemental about these things.

I have researched a bit but can’t get any straight answers except about what a lovely example of Chenes blah blah blah. I felt cheated although it was imposing in its own way but a bit boring and that was the reason I left early moaning to myself. On the way out I just had a nice chat to the two chaps who are its guardians but were very young and not a bit interested in its history or their ancestors work. This was annoying as I thought they might at least shed some light on its history. It was all rather sad and damp and dark and unloved.

Continue reading CHICCANA, ANOTHER MAYAN GEM. OH AND HORMIGUERO!
SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravels
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BEST RUINS EASILY ACCESSIBLE FROM XPUJIL.Becán.

OR, A BIT OF JUNGLE AND ATMOSPHERE AFTER THE NEWLY RUINED YUCATAN.

I’m not going to bang on today about the shit stuff that I experienced wandering around Mexico at the end of last year, oh I’m not a whiner, you know me better than that. Yesterday is yesterday, fair does.

Becán

While researching this I came across Román Piña Chan, a very famous archaeologist, a tragic afterthought in Mexican research history, specifically that of Becan where he had the accident on that ill fated day. I wanted to include him as he sounded a dear, meek man who suffered hugely for his passion. Bedbound for seventeen years after the spirits of Becan let him fall to his fate.

A unique quiet moment to enjoy the classical arched corridor

Below is his small obituary, as modest it would seem as he was, and although translated quirkily I feel fitting for the man who it seems also discovered the Olmec figures and contributed hugely to the field

✔ Posthumous tribute to the archaeologist in the National Museum of Anthropology

Piña Chan was a generous being and always needed know yourself loved and accepted, says Beatriz Barba

ത Locate the recent find in Becán, Campeche, as part of his legacy

JIMENEZ ARTURE

CHANIn 1984, Román Piña Chan fell from a pyramid from the archaeological zone of Becán, an accident that although not managed to remove him from the investigation, the reflection and teaching did limit their ability to move.

Continue reading BEST RUINS EASILY ACCESSIBLE FROM XPUJIL.Becán.
SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravels
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MEXICOS TRAIN WRECK,TREN MAYA AND XPUJIL.

OR TRAVELLING TO A TOWN THAT’S LOST ITS IDENTITY AND HEART. POOR XPUHIL.

Me praying to the Mayan gods at Calakmul that no more damage would be done to their sacred land

Alert: Latest article about Tren Maya that proves what I say in the below account has turned out right! It’s white elephant era has begun surprisingly quickly! Don’t want to say I told you so but, I told you so he he!!! Apparently it’s being operated by the military? I don’t know about you but a military run tourist route never has left me with a warm and snuggly feeling in my belly as a traveller. Do read the article it’s accidently extremely funny. It also says

“Today, the Maya Train is not a tourist product that can be offered. There are no clear routes, there are no defined prices, not even the schedules are well established,” he commented noting that travel agencies have not yet had any contact regarding train promotion.

“If they had a developed product, they would be here at tourist events, explaining what time it leaves, how much it costs, in what languages it is available. But we don’t know anything, everything remains a mystery,”

In other words it’s a huge cock up!

Good old Trans Siberian Express an iconic train if ever there was one

Alert: Here I mostly ramble on about getting to the prime archaeological sites area and the place I used as a base, Xpujil or Xpuhil. The inner fury I felt upon having seen first hand, Tren Mayas long hard line of destruction and devastation of the area rather overtook my original intention of just writing about the sites that I went to. Mexico generally had been a shocker since my last visit and sadly you can clearly hear my disappointment in a place that just three years ago I had worshipped. If you don’t care then I will publish a post tomorrow about the actual sites I went to while there!

And so back to the post:

The Journey to Xpuhil

Me praying to the Mayan gods at Calakmul that no more damage would be done to their sacred land

Riding on the bus away from beastly Bacalar and started on my real road trip! Hooray I’m leaving and going to revisit Xpuhil to use as a base to visit surrounding archaeological sites that I missed last time. I celebrated on that bus to Chetumal after dragging my case miles from my little pension in the midday sun, and was ready to wait there for a couple of hours to get my connection. So in theory I should arrive at my cabin before it’s too late to feel safe, although it will be dark. Upon my joyous arrival (I had so hated Bacalar that any shit hole was now paradise!) I also found that I could buy an earlier ticket upon arrival the bus station, which was a huge relief, rather than the later one which would have involved me waiting five hours and much sighing and whining. However, I still had over an hour to kill and I was suddenly famished.

Continue reading MEXICOS TRAIN WRECK,TREN MAYA AND XPUJIL.
SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravels
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BACALAR, LAKES AND SUNRISE IN MEXICO.

OR, HOSTELS LIKE HOME!

I have had to backtrack to revisit my horrible experience in Bacalar, and am still digesting the no go areas advice that I would give for present day Mexico and the things still worthwhile and to be explored. Just thinking about it makes me have a panic attack as do a few places this time, so before that, I’ll finish the hateful Bacalar moan then can go onto the lovely parts of my trip which really was the archaeology and my lovely new family in Homun of course!

Breath-taking sunrise over the lagoon

After the trials and tribulations of my journey down from Tulum (coconut oil leaking in my rucksack, late bus, rip off taxi from ADO bus station in Bacalar and not being able to find my hostel!) I finally settled into my modest but lovely accommodation and breathed a sigh of relief. I’d forgotten that however experienced, we all can cock up sometimes when travelling solo.

Continue reading BACALAR, LAKES AND SUNRISE IN MEXICO.
SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravels
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IN TULUM,MEXICO COUNTING MY BLESSINGS.

OR, MY FIRST WEEK BACK IN MEXICO AFTER OVER THREE YEARS.

Just think what’s ahead of you when you arrive!

Long trip from London, little did I know I’d be travelling for over twenty hours. Harsh work indeed!

THE FLIGHT AND JOURNEY.

The flight over was truly dreadful, long very cold and boring. BA sure has changed and taken a nosedive in many ways! That can count literally as they have a fleet of the now infamous Boing aircraft (bits didn’t fall off our plane I don’t think) , however the food, service and general vibe was awful, a kind of Easyjet with fangs. The crew had no manners and there is no leg space at all. I was lucky my lucky dip seating had given me an aisle seat. I would suggest taking your own food as theirs is inedible. They served pretend chicken for both meals that I wouldn’t feed my dog.

Just checking the wing hadn’t fallen off!
Continue reading IN TULUM,MEXICO COUNTING MY BLESSINGS.
SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravels

MERIDA, MEXICO 24, HAS LOST IT’S LOST CHARM.

OR, ALL TOO EXPENSIVE, TRASHY AND BUSY FOR A WEARY OLD BIRD.

Know that feeling! Agave hangover and how I’m feeling about Merida now

My arrival in Merida was as one so travel weary and on the point of collapse that any hovel would have done to rest my head but I had booked what looked like a fair old style hotel. I had been travelling for twelve hours on two coaches, and my having had a rough last nights sleep in the cabana at Xpuhil added to a hideous fatigue. Boy the Mexicans like to party and play live music really loud all fucking night! Getting out of Xpuhil proved quite tricky and at one point I felt like I would never leave that little dust covered town. It had made an excellent base for archaeology but the escape was hard with very few buses and at horrific and dangerous times at night! One option had meant getting the 4a.m. bus to Campeche! I did consider it but then decided to opt for a safer route via Chetumal.

Clouds at sunrise

I’ve changed my travel plans so many times now I barely know where am when I awaken each morning. It’s scary and never been as bad as this before. This ever changing weather was mostly to blame at the beginning then my bad sunburn. Then the bad advice to go to Bacalar after Tulum that cost me a fortune hence cancelling a beach trip. Then staying the extra day in Xpuhil in my loud but lovely cabin. Then changing my route from Xpuhil to Merida via Chetunal rather than via Campeche. It had all been very confusing and hard work and frankly at times awful. Such is the beast of any travel, but when it’s solo it’s much harder. Much gnashing of teeth and hanging around between the super busy clambering of ruins. Many highs and lows. Much disappointment in the new Mexico and lamenting the old.

Not bad for 107 years old. Much how I feel at the moment
Continue reading MERIDA, MEXICO 24, HAS LOST IT’S LOST CHARM.
SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravels
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TULUM HERE I COME! VIVA MEXICO!

OR, FINALLY RETURNING TO MEXICO, AND FLYING AFTER ONE YEAR OF CLIPPED WINGS.

On the road again folks!

Hello my old birds! Sitting here with a big sloppy grin on my face after having finally purchased my ticket, booked a flat for the first eight days and got some Pesos in my trembling hands after two long years.

I’m very chirpy and, well, not really believing it. I’ve scraped together enough money if I starve a bit, for a month there. One week in my beloved Tulum for a little reconnaissance with old pals hopefully, and much needed beach, sun, swimming, mojitos and rest. It’s been a foul year so I really need this.

What my new accommodation might look like this time. Joking cave paintings near Mitla 2021

The angels approve as I don’t know if you’ve seen, but they’ve just discovered a huge ancient city in the jungle in Campeche area just ten minutes away from where I stayed in Xpuhil. This was on my road trip (bus trip) to as many sites as were open in the year of lockdown (you know what I think of that!) It was after the terribly disappointing trip to Palenque where they had closed the on site museum with all the real treasures in and herded us round a small circuit that was not very interesting to a pro like me. So a quick reminder below.

Continue reading TULUM HERE I COME! VIVA MEXICO!
SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravels
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PEACE.

OR, JUST SOME KRATOM TEA?

Hello my old birds, my darlings, just a quick one about peace and love and meditation.

I’ve had a chance to get back to a more stable state of mind instead of being frenetic and panicky, I’m not quite sure how it happened, but I made a breakthrough today.

A portal into good mental health and heaven?

I have been getting back involved into being more kind to myself. It sounds simple but in fact it’s really hard. When one is used to being and having an over active brain then this process seems far away, and indeed, not really desirable.

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SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravels
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NEW ME HATCHING, OLD CHICK EMERGING.

OR, THE CAGE DOOR IS SLOWLY OPENING…

Wakey, wakey! Morning everyone! Well it is morning that’s for sure and I’m off to the gym, spa and yoga before lunchtime concert at the reference library, my temple now, my sacrosanct place of quiet and reflection. So without further ado off I trot with my new healthy lifestyle and philosophy.

Confucius He Say…..

After my previous months of confusion it’s more Confucius now, so it’s “Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.” This was really my philosophy on my travels before but I lost essence of this by somewhat sneering at the small things, the small journeys and now I’m becoming humble again. In the quietening of my impatient brain I also had to remind myself ,“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” I indeed have now accepted this so am learning from my tortuous sudden change in my life of speeding along maniacally. From my disappointment in not being able to achieve moving from London and its seemingly insurmountable obstacles in creating a new wild life in so much as a life in the wild it’s been more of a practical “The [wo]man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones” (surely learnt that in my garden in Turkiye.) And “If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake” I now do not just ignore my fuckups but go about trying to fix them. When whizzing about you can all too easily ignore your foolishness and stubbornly not really learn from it. And remember “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor the man perfected without trials.” Yeah, I think we all have the hang of that one my darling old birds et al.

Continue reading NEW ME HATCHING, OLD CHICK EMERGING.
SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravels

DROWNING, NOT WAVING.

OR, HARD GRAFT WITH HOME REPAIRS BEFORE MY NEXT TRIP.

ALERT: The flat is now finished and all is well for this old bird! I wrote this a couple of weeks back when I was very boohoo baby. I painted anything in my way that didn’t actually move refreshed everything and threw away most of my possessions. in a couple of weeks I should be back to telling you about the latest on actual travel rather than snivelling. As they say it’s all character forming……or just plain bad Karma!

Yes I’ve been AWOL, I’ve managed to fall off grid totally by accident or rather by despair. This is why.

Lack of funds, government applications to save my sorry arse and delayed building works forced my hand to stay here. The shocking fact of my allowance being cut off by the ex last year, on the same birthday as my retirement year so had been bought to earth with a resounding crash by trying to live on the minimum state pension. I was suddenly a pensioner and it was very cold and I was trapped with no studio and hence no way of making my art and thus money. My darling ex had encouraged me to spend all my own money while travelling and then quite suddenly completely dump me without explanation. I’m still punch drunk from the shock.

The last months have been tortuous. Clipped wing syndrome, while ironically my windows are ripped out, and my meagre possessions in disarray. scaffolding stealing what little light that is still available to us, and decorating my ever decreasing butt off, I’m silently seething that I, a freedom loving old bird, have been caught in this hellish trap. I feel like I should have seen it coming but how could I while star struck by the old garden and house wreck that was going to be my paradise. I was blind and a fool for not noticing .

Continue reading DROWNING, NOT WAVING.